Govt to roll out 8 vocational streams from Oct

Delhi government is planning to launch its ambitious eight vocational streams in its 200 selected schools from October. The government has already signed an agreement with the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) on July 15 to provide training to the students of Class IX to XII in eight vocational streams including information technology, automobile, retail, beauty and wellness, General Duty Assistant in health care, travel and tourism, security, and financial market management.

“We are preparing <g data-gr-id="23">ground work</g> to launch the programme. There are other actions before it gets started in schools. I hope it will be in October,” said Padmini <g data-gr-id="24">Singhla</g>, director of Directorate of Education, Government of Delhi.

In the first phase, the government will select 200 schools for the vocational training programme out of which 50 schools will be Pilot Model Schools and another project of Delhi government to upgrade the standards of government schools. According to the proposal, the National Skill Qualification Framework will be divided into four levels. “In the initial stage, there will be two vocational streams in each school for the students to choose as per their interest in the area,” said a senior government official. NSDC, however, provides training in 21 vocational streams and according to government sources, more vocational courses will be added after the project becomes fully operational.

The idea to introduce vocational courses in Delhi government schools was suggested by former President A P J Abdul Kalam to Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia during a meeting on June 7, 2015.

According to Sisodia, Kalam had suggested him to provide two certificates to the students passing out from Delhi government schools — academic certificate to pursue further academic education and vocational certificate to choose the vocation as per his area of interest.